Ted Deutch

Florida's 22nd

Congressman Ted Deutch, 50, represents Florida’s 22nd district, home to communities throughout western Palm Beach County and Broward County in sunny South Florida. Now serving his fifth term in the 115th Congress, he has been described as a rising voice in the House Democratic Caucus by the Washington newspaper Roll Call and was previously named one of the Forward newspaper’s top Jewish politicians to watch. He is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, the House Ethics Committee, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on which he serves as Ranking Democrat on the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee.

Noted by the South Florida Sun Sentinel for his accessible personality, sense of humor, and thoughtful approach to the issues, Ted has proven himself to be energetic advocate for the priorities of his constituents. His plan to strengthen Social Security and improve benefits for all retirees was highlighted by theNew York Times,and his efforts to boost cancer research, fight hunger and poverty, and institute sensible criminal justice reforms has won praise from prominent organizations like the American Cancer Society, the National Committee to Preserve Medicare and Social Security, and the American Bar Association. Ted’s priorities in the 114th Congress include promoting economic opportunity in South Florida, reducing the influence of big money in our elections, reforming our broken immigration system, and advancing the security interests of the United States, Israel, and our allies.

As a member of the House Judiciary Committee, Ted has worked to defend voting rights, protect the integrity of our elections, and promote equality under the law. In 2015, Ted earned the support of more than 120 of his colleagues for the Udall-Deutch “Democracy for All Amendment,” which would amend the U.S. Constitution to overturn Supreme Court rulings like Citizens United and McCutcheon. In his role as a member of the House Democracy Task Force, Ted has worked alongside several national grassroots organizations committed to getting big money out of our elections, including Public Citizen, People for the American Way, Common Cause, Free Speech for People, and Communications Workers of America. In 2012, Ted played a major role in shutting down Florida Governor Rick Scott’s effort to purge up to 180,000 legitimate voters from Florida’s rolls by highlighting decorated war veterans, small business owners, and naturalized citizens whose voting rights were unjustly jeopardized.

Ted serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he plays a leadership role as Ranking Democrat on the influential Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. Ted has been deeply engaged in Middle East issues for several years, first gaining national recognition during his time in the Florida State Senate for passing the first law in the country divesting public pension funds from Iran. Since arriving in Congress, several of Ted’s legislative initiatives have earned bipartisan support, including the Iran Transparency and Accountability Act and the Iran Human Rights and Democracy Promotion Act, both of which were incorporated in to the Iran Threat Reduction Act and signed into law by the President Obama. In 2014, Ted introduced and passed the bipartisan U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act to enhance U.S. cooperation with Israel in areas like agriculture, energy, security, and other areas. Ted is also a passionate advocate for boosting foreign aid, promoting global health, and protecting human rights abroad.

Ted has also championed issues unique to South Florida. During the 113th Congress, he passed legislation advancing the efforts of Mitch Libman, a constituent fighting to find out why his friend Private Leonard Kravitz never received the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary heroism in the Korean War. Ted’s amended version of the National Defense Authorization Act enabled the White House to eventually move forward with a ceremony on March 18, 2014 in which President Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to 24 veterans whose heroism may have gone unrecognized due to prejudice against their Jewish or Hispanic heritage. In the 112th Congress, Ted advocated for thousands of homeowners in South Florida and around the country whose homes were built with contaminated Chinese drywall and worked across the aisle to pass the bipartisan Drywall Safety Act.

Ted Deutch, and his wife of 24 years, Jill Deutch, have lived and worked in South Florida since 1997. They live with their three children in Boca Raton and are members of the B’nai Torah Congregation. Prior to holding public office, Ted enjoyed a successful career as a commercial real estate attorney, and today Jill continues her work as Director of Development at Hillel of Broward and Palm Beach. Born and raised in the working class community of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Ted is the youngest son of Jean and the late Bernard Deutch, a World War II veteran who earned a Purple Heart at the Battle of the Bulge. A graduate of the University of Michigan and the University of Michigan Law School, Ted’s passion for serving the community earned him the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship and eventually inspired him to run for the Florida State Senate in 2006.